Haste
| rarity = Rare | type = Unit Enchantment | combat_casting_cost = | research_cost = | effects = The enchanted unit gets double its normal Movement Allowance every turn. Additionally, every time the unit is ordered to perform a Melee Attack or Ranged Attack, it will immediately perform another one for free. This also applies when Counter Attacking! }} Haste is a Rare Unit Enchantment belonging to the realm. It may only be cast during combat, for a Casting Cost of , and must be targeted at a friendly unit. The affected unit becomes twice as fast in everything it does: it has a doubled Movement Allowance, and makes two attacks (whether Ranged or Melee) whenever ordered to do so. The unit even Counter Attacks twice when assaulted by an enemy. As a "combat-only" Unit Enchantment, Haste's effects will remain active only until the end of battle - or until the enchanted unit dies, whichever comes first. The spell dissipates automatically, and no trace of it remains when returning to the overland map. Therefore, it has no further effect, does not need to be dispelled, and has no Upkeep Cost to pay each turn. To give it any continuous effect, the wizard must cast this spell again and again whenever entering combat. Effects Haste doubles the speed of the unit's movements, and doubles the number of attacks the unit performs each time it is ordered to do so. Doubled Movement Allowance Haste's first effect is to double the Movement Allowance of the enchanted unit. This allows the unit to move twice as far during each combat turn (assuming no obstacles to navigate around). The added maneuverability can be staggeringly effective, especially if the unit already had a high Movement Allowance to begin with. Note that since Movement Allowance is only reset at the start of each of the unit's turns, casting Haste upon a unit does not immediately change its remaining Movement Points for this turn. The unit will only receive double its normal Movement Points at the start of the subsequent turn (and any turn thereafter, unless Haste is dispelled). Doubled Ranged Attacks Whenever the enchanted unit is ordered to make a ''Ranged Attack'' that uses ammunition, it will instead perform two attacks in a row. When a Ranged Attack is ordered, the unit uses up 2'' points of ammunition instead of one - and delivers about twice as much damage - on average - with what visually appears to be a single attack. This happens because ''two Ranged Attacks have been dealt in a row, instead of just one. The unit makes a set of Ranged Damage rolls based on its , then makes another set of rolls to inflict further damage! Therefore, damage isn't simply doubled; instead the unit actually makes two separate attacks in rapid sequence, causing twice as much damage on average as a result. Note that Haste doesn't give the unit twice as many Ranged Attacks in total during combat, as the ammunition is also depleted twice as fast. It only means that the unit would deliver all of its Ranged Attacks in a much shorter span of time. Unfortunately, it also means that the unit should be pickier about its Ranged Attack targets, as it has to spend two ammunition points on each target it picks. This double ranged attack still costs the same amount of Movement Points as a single attack would. It may still be performed even if the unit has as little as 0.5 Movement Points remaining this turn. This doubling effect does not apply when the unit is using a that uses the attacker's own pool. In these cases, only one Ranged Attack is made, as normal, and the caster's Mana pool is reduced by only as normal. Additional Ranged Attack Opportunity Ranged Attacks usually cost a unit all of its Movement Points. However, in fact, Ranged Attacks actually cost only 10 Movement Points - it's just that this is not noticeable during normal gameplay because most units don't have that many points. Heroes can sometimes gain a very high Movement Allowance exceeding 5 Movement Points per turn, primarily thanks to speed-boosting Magical Items. When such a hero is enchanted with Haste, his/her Movement Allowance is doubled and exceeds 10 Movement Points. This opens the door to what is probably an unintended feature, but can be exploited for the player's benefit. When such a Hero makes a Ranged Attack, he/she spends only 10 Movement Points and can then use the remaining points to move and/or attack a second time! Remember that with Haste, any Hero that uses ammunition (see above) will also get 2 Ranged Attacks for the price of one. Therefore, such a Hero could make up to 4 Ranged Attacks per turn (at the cost of depleting their ammo in 2 turns)! Doubled Melee Attacks Whenever the enchanted unit is ordered to make a Melee Attack, it will instead perform two attacks in rapid succession. However, instead of executing the entire Melee Sequence twice (which would give the opponent two chances to Counter Attack), Haste's additional attacks are actually worked into the sequence itself. This has the interesting consequence that some Special Attacks may be performed multiple times, while others can not. and , at the start of the sequence, will both be executed twice. Consequently, Touch Attacks that can be affixed to these will also be delivered twice. On the other hand, Gaze Attacks, and their own related Touch Attacks are only performed once, giving a distinct edge to the first two types of Special Attacks when used in combination with Haste. Melee Damage will also be dealt twice, with the added quirk that First Strike will only affect the first of these, meaning that the second attack will occur concurrently with the opponent's Counter Attack regardless of this ability. Touch Attacks that can be affixed to Melee Damage will be delivered with both strikes, making it possible for them to trigger up to four times during the entire sequence. Fear Attacks are also only executed once, and apply any effect they have to both iterations of Melee Damage, rather than being delivered separately before each. Note that the Movement Points cost of making a Melee Attack is increased along with the Movement Allowance while under the effect of Haste. Therefore, the unit still spends the same proportion of its total Movement Allowance (50% to be exact) when ordered to attack. Counting in the extra attacks bestowed by Haste, if a unit spends all of its movement points on Melee Attacks, it will make a total of 4 attacks instead of the normal 2. The only caveat is that it has to attack each target twice (i.e. it cannot select 4 different targets). Doubled Counter Attacks During a Melee Attack initiated by an enemy unit, the Hasted unit also Counter Attacks twice. In other words, when Melee Damage is being dealt by the attacker and the target, the Hasted unit delivers its damage, and then makes another series of Melee Damage rolls to inflict even more damage upon its assailant. Both of these will also trigger Melee Touch Attacks, if the unit possesses any. On the other hand, just like when attacking, Gaze Attacks can still only be performed once during the sequence. Usage Haste may only be cast during combat, for a base Casting Cost of . The spell will only affect the targeted unit until the end of the battle - at which point it will dissipate. Since its effects do not carry over to the campaign map, there is no need to pay a per-turn Upkeep Cost to maintain the spell - but it does mean that you must re-cast the spell every time you enter combat if you wish a unit to enjoy its effect repeatedly, as would be the case with other Unit Enchantments. Like all other Unit Enchantments, Haste must targeted at a friendly unit. Once the spell is in effect, the unit will glow with a aura, unless there is a more powerful spell also affecting it. Haste may not be voluntarily removed from a unit once it's been cast. There should be no reason to do so - as once the spell is cast it is purely beneficial, and costs nothing extra to keep (it goes away by the end of combat anyway). Acquisition As a Rare spell, Haste may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least Spellbooks. However, its availability during the game is not guaranteed unless the Wizard acquires at least Spellbooks. Customized Wizards possessing Spellbooks at creation time may choose this spell as one of their default spells before starting the game, in which case the spell will already be researched and available for casting immediately on the first turn. Wizards with to Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research Haste during the game. The chance for this spell to appear for research increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. With or Spellbooks, the spell is guaranteed to appear for Research at some point, if it is not already available for casting. Haste has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbooks, the Haste spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Strategy Haste has two primary functions: to allow a unit to maneuver more easily across the battlefield, and to boost up its damage-dealing potential by a factor of 2. In essence, one could say that most units actually do become twice as effective on the battlefield as a result of this spell, making it one of the most potent Unit Enchantments available. Any unit targeted by this spell will find it extremely beneficial, though it is often best to place it on high-powered Melee Attack creatures who can put it to good use: charging straight into enemy lines and causing massive damage. Powerful "suicide" units are some of the best targets for this spell, as the spell does not increase the unit's protection in any way. Ranged Attack units, sadly, do not benefit quite so much. Category:Unit Enchantments Category:Sorcery Category:Unit Movement